


my name from your lips

by rangerhitomi



Category: Cardfight!! Vanguard
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Post-Canon, Supportive Relationship, University, hand holding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-10
Updated: 2018-06-10
Packaged: 2019-05-20 11:06:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14893451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rangerhitomi/pseuds/rangerhitomi
Summary: They're practically soulmates and Aichi still calls him Kai-kun.





	my name from your lips

They're practically soulmates but Aichi still calls him Kai-kun.

Not that Kai dislikes being called by his family name. He prefers it. But Aichi's genuinely, painfully demure, and still adds a _kun_ when talking to Kai. Even when they're alone. (Which made their first awkward, awkward kiss after Kai's high school graduation even more awkward when Aichi turned scarlet and muttered _"Kai-kun"_ in a strangled, scandalized whisper and Kai could only sigh because _at what point in our relationship are you going to be comfortable enough with me that you can drop the kun_.)

There's still a little nervous tension when they're in public holding hands; for the most part, Aichi doesn't blush and stare at the ground anymore but he's still fidgety when people stare. For as talented a Cardfighter as he is, he never quite got used to the limelight. Paparazzi had followed them around at first, taking pictures and ambushing them with questions and demands for interviews, but Aichi rejected the path of the pro leagues and eventually the nosy gossip columnists and "interest blogs" got bored trying to get the quiet student to give them some juicy relationship quote.

It wasn't an easy time for either of them, though, or for their relationship. Aichi didn't want to go out in public, frequently had anxiety attacks in Kai's kitchen, and was visibly uncomfortable with any kind of private affection. Kai knew when Aichi didn't want to be touched and when he did, and how; their relationship ended with Aichi going to America for school and Kai went to France to train with Gaillard, and their communication was infrequent and cordial.

Kai spent years wondering what things could have been like.

But, perhaps fate had wanted things to work out, and upon reuniting for the entire fiasco with the Stride Gate and Gyze...

(Aichi had led Kai away during the picnic with Ibuki and Mamoru and Try3 and the others, faint redness in his face. He's still shy. But he's no longer timid, the way he was when they first met. He wrapped his fingers around Kai's hand. He leaned up first, waited for Kai's nonverbal consent, and initiated their first kiss in years.

"What are your plans now?" he'd asked when he pulled away.

Kai's lips tingled from the contact. He'd thought about his future more than once since this mission began. "It's been a while since I've fought in America.")

So he'd come to America, to be closer to Aichi. New York City is just a short bus ride away from the little town in Connecticut where Aichi studies; it's cheaper to stay with Aichi and commute to the city a few days a week for fights and promotional events.

He's a popular Cardfighter in America, too. Which is why people sometimes stare when they walk around the campus of Yale University holding hands, and it's why Aichi is starting to adopt some of his old mannerisms - watching his feet as he walks, flexing his fingers inside Kai's hand, fiddling with the strap of his bag with his free hand.

Today is one such day, and Kai is starting to worry things are going to end up the way they did _before_. But maybe, he reasons, it's just that something is bothering Aichi today.

He turns to ask Aichi if he wanted to go back to Aichi's place, but as he's opening his mouth, Aichi blurts out "some of my classmates were asking me questions about you today."

This is a bad start to the conversation.

Kai leads Aichi to a bench near the main library and they sit. He waits while Aichi composes himself, but he can feel the tension in every muscle in his body.

"Someone in my class saw us walking around together and recognized you and then pulled up videos of some of our old fights from, you know, back in our Q4 days..."

Aichi is babbling, something he never does, and he's doing it in Japanese even though he tries to convince Kai to speak English most of the time so they can both get more fluent in it. From the direction of the conversation, Kai thinks Aichi's going to lament the fact that he couldn't even get away from nosy bloggers halfway across the planet.

"...so then she pulled up... some of my fights from when I... you know, Psyqualia..."

_Ah._

Kai almost breathes a sigh of relief, but doesn't because this is a topic that affects Aichi deeply.

"I don't even remember some of those fights," Aichi says miserably, staring at his hands. "It's like I just... blacked out."

There was one fight Kai remembers vividly where Aichi _did_ black out. Kai knew it was going to happen sooner or later. He'd seen the same thing happen to Ren. It was the first time he'd been forced to evaluate what Aichi meant to him.

Aichi leans forward, pressing his face into his hands. "I didn't even recognize myself. I was horrible. My classmate said so, too. Said I was a real jerk when I was younger. I couldn't even tell her about Psyqualia because it's so-"

"Unbelievable."

"Yeah. I mean, how do you tell someone about something like that? No one really understands that Cray is a real place that influences our world. Vanguard is just a game to everyone else." He pulls his hands away from his face and glances up at Kai. "You understand, though."

Kai wraps his arm around Aichi's shoulders and Aichi allows Kai to draw him closer. "I'd seen it happen with Ren. And then it was happening to you. I was angry with you but more than that, I was angry with myself for driving you to it." He sighs and Aichi leans in deeper, hand resting on Kai's thigh. "I never told you this, but..." His throat tightens and so does Aichi's hand. "I resolved that I would go through hell to save you. At the time I told myself it was because I didn't want to see you become another Ren, but you made me feel... something I couldn't explain. You were someone to... to protect. To cherish."

With a tender smile, Aichi mumbles _Kai-kun_ and tilts his head up.

Just as Kai is bending his head, there's a loud "Aichi!" coming from behind them and Aichi changes his trajectory to turn his attention to the interloper.

"Oh Aichi, I'm really glad I spotted you, see, I felt really bad for the- hello, you are Kai Toshiki!"

The girl sounds slightly breathless, which Kai can understand seeing as she hadn't taken a breath during the entire sentence and he was tired just trying to translate everything in context in his head. "Yeah."

She thrusts out a hand. "Emily, nice to m- oh I interrupted something didn't I, I am so sorry, I can come back-"

"It's okay, Emily," Aichi assures her, pulling his hand from Kai's thigh. He's a bit red again, but that's fine because Kai thinks he might also be. "Kai-kun, this is my classmate, Emily."

Emily's hand remains outstretched so Kai takes it, gives it a firm shake, and settles back next to Aichi. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you." She smiles at him for a second before turning her attention back to Aichi. "Aichi, I really apologize for digging up the videos, I didn't realize at the time but you seemed very uncomfortable watching them and I know you're _not_ a jerk, like, at all, so-"

"It's okay, I promise," Aichi interrupts with a weak smile. "I've gotten stronger from overcoming Psyqualia so-"

Kai clears his throat and Aichi cuts off with a grimace.

"Psyqualia?" Emily repeats, lifting an eyebrow.

"Ah- uh-"

"Pretend it's a translation error," Kai whispers in Japanese. "For like, tournament or something."

"Ah- aha, yeah, tournament!" Aichi laughs nervously. "The Vanguard tournament. That I was in."

Emily doesn't look entirely convinced and Kai wonders how deep she's willing to go to on the word "Psyqualia." "Well, anyway, I should have thought about how seeing those videos made you feel and I'm really very sorry, Aichi. It was nice to meet you, Mr. Toshiki."

It takes Kai a very confused five seconds to understand what she just said, and realizes that since Americans have the order of their names reversed, she must think Toshiki is his last name. "It's Kai," he corrects as she's turning away.

"Huh?"

"Kai is my family name. Toshiki is my given name."

She frowns. "But..." She points from Aichi to Kai. "You always call him Kai. You call him by his last name?"

"Y-yeah, it's... he's always been Kai to me."

With a pensive nod, she slams her fist into the palm of her other hand. "I see. You two have got a Mulder and Scully thing going!" Her eyes glisten.

Aichi laughs nervously and side-eyes Kai, who shrugs helplessly. "Ah...hah... I-I don't... understand that reference..."

She launches into an explanation about government conspiracies and aliens that Kai absolutely does not follow, and judging by Aichi's glazed expression, he doesn't either. She finally leaves with the promise of lending Aichi nine seasons of some television show and when she's out of sight, Aichi blows air from his cheeks.

"She means well," he says tiredly, "but she's just... a lot."

Kai is burning to return to where they had been interrupted, but now that the mood has shifted, it feels a bit awkward again. He doesn't know why; it isn't as though Aichi is conservative when it comes to kissing Kai. They had just been having such a good _moment_ that anything else now would be underwhelming.

As though reading his mind, Aichi smiles at him and takes him by the hand as he pulls him from the bench. "Wanna get some ice cream?"

Kai returns the smile and lets Aichi pull him along with the same eagerness he had when they'd first held hands, after the Link Joker incident. And despite his irritation with her interruption, Kai is glad that Aichi's classmate had apologized to Aichi. The simple gesture of her going out of her way to make sure he wasn't upset had gone a long way in improving Aichi's mood.

He's lost in his thoughts and comes back to earth only when he hears a truly disconcerting sound escape Aichi's lips.

"Toshiki... kun."

Kai is so stunned by Aichi's use of his given name that he doesn't see the light pole until he's slammed face-first into it.

"Oh no, Kai-kun, are you okay?" Aichi is hovering somewhere between amusement and concern as he checks Kai's face for injuries.

(No physical injury could hurt more than his pride.)

"What was that about?" Kai asks as Aichi prods at his nose.

"It's not broken, it's actually not even bleeding-"

Kai grabs Aichi's hand and slowly lowers it. "No, I mean... you called me Toshiki."

"Ehh?... Ah... oh..." Aichi shrugs shyly. "I mean... this is kind of embarrassing but do you-do you think we're... soulmates?"

It was a word Kai had used in his head to describe his relationship with Aichi for years, ever since the Quatre Knights incident, but had never given voice to. There had to be some reason Blaster Blade had resonated so powerfully with Kai, some reason Kai had been the only one not to forget Aichi. "Yeah."

Aichi relaxes his shoulders and moves his hand until it's linked with Kai's. "I thought, since we're..." He waves his free hand as though searching for the right word.

"Partners?" Kai supplies.

"Partners," Aichi affirms, nodding, "I thought I'd call you by your given name, but..."

"It's a little weird to hear."

"It's a lot weird to say."

Kai laughs. "Just call me Kai, Aichi." He holds up a finger as they walk. "And not Kai- _kun._ We're not classmates." He gives Aichi a playful shoulder nudge. "You've seen me without any clothes on, can you stop using honorifics?"

Aichi moans and covers his red face with one hand as Kai laughs harder.

They're soulmates and Aichi still calls him Kai. But Kai wouldn't want it any other way.


End file.
